


Chasing A Phantom

by astralluna



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-04 11:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13364208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralluna/pseuds/astralluna
Summary: While investigating a group known as the Phantom Thieves, Goro Akechi is given a case about a person named Ren Amamiya, who suddenly went missing after moving to Tokyo for his probation a year ago. Akechi’s pursuit of the case leads him to Akira Kurusu, a seemingly normal barista working at a coffee shop. As Akechi gets to know this mysterious teenager, he finds that all of his cases may be connected and that connection may in fact be Akira himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to everyone reading this! This is my first fic, so as always, constructive criticism is greatly welcomed. This is un-betaed, so sorry for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy!

Goro Akechi really needed a break.

He had been mulling over one report after another for what seemed like ages now. The words on the pages began to blur together and the continuous strain on his eyes started to develop into a headache. Akechi carded his fingers through his hair irritably as he reached for his coffee. What number cup was this? His third? He normally didn’t drink more than a single cup, but today proved to be an exceedingly stressful day. From having to attend a meeting early in the morning, to having to sweet talk his way out of a mob of obsessive fangirls who decided the best way to catch a glimpse of the Detective Prince was to wait outside of the Public Prosecutors Office for a chance to ambush him. Suffice to say the SIU director was not pleased with all of the commotion that had caused. Akechi hoped that didn’t change the way the director viewed him. Even the director’s approval meant something to him, even if he wasn’t fond of the man all that much. 

If his fans were to see the state he was in now they would probably cause an uproar. His perfectly styled hair in disarray due to constantly threading his fingers through them. The bags under his eyes were likely more prominent now then they were in the morning. Being slouched over his desk was not doing wonders for his back either. All in all, this was not the oh-so charismatic detective that the media viewed him as. Right now, sitting at his desk with an increasing headache and lukewarm coffee in his hands, Akechi felt far from composed, and he felt too tired to care at the moment. 

His more or less than sour mood may also be influenced by the fact that it was nearing almost an entire month, and his investigation on the notorious group known as the Phantom Thieves had yet to produce a single new piece of evidence. He has been closely monitoring the group ever since their first alleged crime back in April of last year where they had targeted a volleyball coach, a man by the name of Suguru Kamoshida, from Shujin Academy for abusing his players and sexually harassing female students. A day before the crime took place, calling cards had been mysteriously posted all around the school, calling out Kamoshida for his heinous acts and threatening to steal his most treasured possession if he did not confess to his crimes. With no follow up from the coach, it was revealed the next day that an olympic gold medal, which Kamoshida had won when he went to nationals, was stolen from his home. The school filed a report to the police, and upon further investigation it was revealed that what was written on the calling cards were actually true. Many players from the volleyball team were called into questioning, along with their parents, and everyone of them confirmed what had been done to them by the coach. With the overwhelming evidence stacked against him, Kamoshida eventually confessed to everything and was sentenced to prison. However, the ones who posted the calling cards and carried out their intentions, the ones who called themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, remained unaccounted for. With no clear signs of breaking and entering, or any sign of the theft being executed, to be exact, the police couldn’t lay claim as to who these Phantom Thieves were, nor could they begin to apprehend them. Akechi wanted to assume that this occurrence was nothing more than a bunch of delinquent high schoolers who found dirt on the coach and attempted to blackmail him into confessing. That was what many of the other investigators thought of at first, but Akechi was hard pressed to believe that normal high schoolers could have pulled of this heist with such swift profession. Besides the calling cards, there were no other distinguished evidence to be found at the scene of the crime. 

And it didn’t stop there. The Phantom Thieves slowly started gaining traction afterwards. An official website dubbed the Phantom Aficionado Website was created in honor of the Phantom Thieves and their success at bringing a criminal’s wrongdoings to light. It was a website designed to keep track of the Phantom Thieves moves, as well as a place for fans to leave comments of support or disapproval. This in turn led to the Phantom Thieves garnering an increasing amount of support from the general public. 

Akechi was hoping this would be a one-and-done thing, but then they went after a famous artist by the name of Ichiryusai Madarame for supposedly plagiarizing the works of his pupils by crediting them as his own, on top of abusing them. Once again, calling cards were scattered all throughout his art exhibit stating all of his crimes, and the next day his maiden work titled ‘Sayuri’ was stolen. What was stated on the calling card once again ended up being true, as well. Madarame was sent to prison, and the Phantom Thieves vanished without so much as a trace. They were like a flash of lighting. There one second, gone the next. 

When he heard that the Phantom Thieves managed to break into Junya Kaneshiro’s hideout and steal all of his money, only to then deposit the money into the bank accounts of every person victimized by the infamous mafia boss, Akechi knew he could ignore them no longer. It was bad enough that the Thieves had successfully took down someone even the police were having difficulty arresting. Reenacting the same song and dance of sending out a calling card exposing Kaneshiro’s crimes for all of Shibuya to see, to then realizing that those crimes were indeed true and having the mafia boss sent to prison was getting to the point of really antagonizing Akechi. There was something completely different with these heists compared to those of normal ones. Each successful theft resulted the criminals heinous acts being brought to light and being apprehended, along with the victims of those criminals being accommodated for in some way. 

Also, these occurrences were too great to be seen as simply coincidence. They were much too thought out and precise, as well. Clear effort was put into every heist committed, but the motifs behind them were frustratingly vague at best. If these so-called Phantom Thieves were just targeting less conspicuous individuals, then maybe Akechi could categorize them as another juvenile criminal group with too much time on their hands. But no, the ones the Phantom Thieves have targeted were key public figures. Ones that would cause a spark among the general public and leave an impact on society. They were clearly trying to leave some sort of message. Some kind of mark that would let their presence be known to the world. If that was truly their only goal, to be known worldwide, then they succeeded when they managed to shut down an international hacker organization known as Medjed that terrorized the world with their cybercrimes. To think the Thieves would waste their time initiating, in essence, a cyberwar with a truly unforseen enemy that no one would have thought was possible to actually stop. Akechi could barely even fathom this turn of events. Since then, the Phantom Thieves’ popularity have skyrocketed to great heights. With their name being known around the world, and with everyone anticipating their next move now, their presence became a formidable shadow that loomed over Akechi’s head.

Allies of Justice, as the general public referred to them. Modern day Gentlemen Thieves out to reform society by punishing wrongdoers and aiding the less fortunate. Using methods that no one could make heads or tails of and doing so in a way that went against all law and order put in place by the governing system. Akechi was hard pressed to believe that the Phantom Thieves’ ultimate goal was truly just societal reform. Maybe that was a large part of it, but something about that didn’t sit right with Akechi. If that was the case, then they could be targeting a wider variety of individuals at a much larger rate than what they were doing now. Sure, targeting key public figures was a fast way of making a difference, but why just narrow your field of vision to very specific people? Why be inconsistent with who you decide to target? If you want to make a lasting impact, why not target all of the artists who have surely committed terrible acts or take down all of the mafia bosses who are lurking in the shadows? Why just commit a crime against one specific criminal and then move on to a completely different one altogether? And why just stick to reforming Japan when you can go abroad and reshape other countries? Surely Japan wasn’t the only place with a corrupted society and governing body. 

Of course, if the Phantom Thieves were to be that consistent than that would make them easier to catch and apprehend. What’s the point of being known as a thieves group if you weren’t sporadic with who you choose to target? There would be no challenge or fun in it, if that were the case. It was wishful thinking on Akechi’s part to hope it would be that easy for him. He must be really out of it today.

But still, Akechi couldn’t wrap his mind around it. A volleyball coach, an artist, a mafia boss, an unseen international online hacker organization, and the last major person they targeted being the President and CEO of Okumura Foods. The Phantom Thieves targets just keep getting bigger and bigger with each one leaving a larger impact on the general public. He thought they had hit the mark when they managed to shut down Medjed, but then they went and targeted Okumura Foods’ President. After Okumura’s subsequent arrest, though, there haven’t been any other targets on such a large scale since then. Just little inconspicuous ones here and there. A transgression, in Akechi’s opinion. Would they really go back to targeting simple criminals and wrongdoers once they’ve finally managed to reach international status? There were puzzle pieces missing in that picture and it frustrated Akechi to no end. 

A knock on his door drew him from his thoughts. He checked the time to see that it was past ten. How long had he been lost in his own thoughts? Akechi already knew who might be at his door considering there weren’t many people who usually visited him. He quickly fixed himself up to his perfect composure as much as possible before calling for the person to come in. 

A tall women with long grey hair entered his office and quietly shut the door behind her. Seeing her instantly brightened Akechi’s mood, which was really saying something when it came to adults. Sae Niijima turned and gave him a soft smile before sitting down in front of him. She looked just as tired and worn out as he felt. Unlike with other adults, Akechi actually appreciated working with Sae. She wasn’t like the other adults he had to begrudgingly force himself to get along with. He honestly felt at ease around her, and Sae treated him in a caring way that felt both foreign and familiar to Akechi all at once. She was one of, if not the only, adult Akechi actually respected and admired, in a way. 

“I’m surprised to see you’re still here. I figured you would have left by now,” Sae says with a face that conveys how she disapproves of Akechi working so late into the night. Akechi merely gives her a polite chuckle. 

“Well, I merely intended to just finish up what little work I had, but it seems I got carried away again.” It was common for Akechi to be so engrossed in his work or lost in his thoughts that time ended up flying by without him realizing it. But he has been staying later than usual for the past few weeks now. Sae was bound to notice something was off about him eventually. If the papers from his reports splayed out messily over his desk and his numerous empty coffee cups were anything to go by. His charming smile didn’t seem to convince her, but thankfully she didn’t push it. Instead, she reached into her bag and pulled out a case file.

“I was going to stop by earlier to hand you this, but I got caught up in my work.” She explains as she hands the file over to Akechi. “After my meeting with the director, he handed me this and asked me to give it to you.” 

Akechi didn’t think he could handle looking at another case file, but he took it from her with a thanks. 

“What is this?” he asks as he opens it up. He comes to an answer after he quickly scanned through the first page. It was a case about a missing person. 

“Ren Amamiya,” the name rolled smoothly off Akechi’s tongue. He continued to scan through the report as Sae spoke up. 

“He’s a teenager, around the same age as you, who was charged with assault and sent here for a year to serve out his probation under the custody of a man by the name of Sojiro Sakura. A month after arriving, the boy suddenly went missing. Sakura stated that Amamiya went to school like he normally did every morning, however later that day he had received a call from the school Amamiya was suppose to be attending that the boy had never showed up. At first, Sakura assumed Amamiya had just decided to ditch school that day. However, when he asked around, he found out that was not the case. None of Amamiya’s friends had seen him or were with him that day either. They even said they tried contacting him, but they did not receive any form of a reply. After searching every place they could think of and coming up empty, Sakura filed a claim. We brought Sakura and a few of Amamiya’s friends into questioning to find out if anything had seemed off about the teen prior to his disappearance. They all said that nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Amamiya was always a quiet man who mostly kept to himself. Though of course neither Sakura nor any of Amamiya’s friends knew him for very long, seeing as he just moved here. We contacted the boy’s family and told them of the situation. We ordered search parties to search all of the areas Amamiya was thought to have gone. We didn’t find any evidence of a struggle, suggesting that he may have been kidnapped. Eyewitnesses from around Sakura’s residence reported that they didn’t notice anything unusual either. Other than that, we don’t have much else at this point,” Sae concluded. 

Akechi hummed under his breath and waited to make sure Sae was done talking before finally asking the obvious question. “Why is there no picture of the person?”

Sae rubbed at her temples before answering. “That’s the biggest mystery of this case, you could say. Any and all pictures we’ve accumulated from the boy’s family to use in our search have been completely erased from our records. Someone either removed or stole the picture that was in that file, along with all the other tangible ones we kept. Even the pictures on our database have been erased.” 

Akechi’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and slight confusion at that. “So you mean to tell me that whatever photographic identification you had on this person simply just...vanished?”

Sae nodded, “I know it’s hard to believe. This threw us in quite a shock, as well. We tried to procure more photos from the family, but they didn’t have any more to give us.” 

At Akechi’s questioning look, Sae added, “The family is a relatively small one, and they stated that their son did not like having pictures taken of him.” Even after she said this, it didn’t seem like she believed it entirely herself either. She was most likely having the same suspicions as Akechi was having about this whole case.

“We did, however, hire a sketch artist and asked family members and Sakura to give us a detailed description of what the boy looked like. The drawing the artist made should be on the next page.” Sae gestured for Akechi to turn the page.

The drawing itself wasn’t anything spectacular. Just a simple image of a male teen with what was written as having black hair and grey eyes. His age, height, weight, and blood type were also listed. Simply the basics of information that was needed to be known about any person. 

“So, to be clear,” Akechi began, “This teen, Ren Amamiya, came to live with a guardian here to serve out his one year probation. However, only after a month later, he disappeared one morning after seemingly leaving for school. Since then, there have been no clues as to his whereabouts.” 

Sae gave him a nod. “A year has passed since his disappearance, and we are no closer to finding out what could have happened to him.”

“Why did the director decide to bring up this case now if there has been no progress on it for this long?” Akechi questioned. He finished going through everything that was mentioned in the report. Truth be told, there wasn’t much to go off of. There was scarce information, and whatever there was could be summed up in what Sae had already stated. 

“I’m honestly not sure. All he said during our meeting was that he believed you to be the perfect person for this case. He seemed quite persistent about it, as well. I wasn’t given the chance to question him properly about it.” Sae cast her eyes down in thought. Akechi’s eyebrows creased in confusion. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to be assigned to rare and, most of the time, difficult cases. He had proved himself to be leagues above most detectives, even those far older than him with years of more experience to showcase. However, this case was a cold one. With no additional progress to show for after a whole year, the chances of success for this case were slim. Besides, there have been hundreds of cases such as this one that resulted with no promising progress. What makes this one different?

Akechi took one more look at the picture in the report. He tried to figure out why this one teen required the SIU director to insist he be the one to take on the case. Was there something about this teen that he wasn’t being told of?

Something felt off about this, and Akechi didn’t like it one bit.

He was so lost in thought he almost didn’t hear Sae calling out his name. He looked up to see her looking at him with a strange look in her eyes. Akechi had to forcefully will himself to relax his clenched jaw in order to give her one of his signature fake smiles. 

“My apologise, Sae-san. I was just planning on how I would begin tackling this case.” Which wasn’t exactly a total lie. Akechi was eventually going to do that. After he figures out why his intuition was telling him that there was something else at play here.

Sae let out a deep sigh before standing up. “It’s getting late. You should head on home now. If you want to talk more about the case, you can always contact me.” 

Akechi stood up as well and began to gather his things. He felt even more exhausted than before. This case could wait until morning. Akechi should really try getting some sleep tonight, though the chances of that happening were slim. 

“Thank you for delivering this to me, Sae-san. I’ll make sure to find results as soon as possible.” He flashed another smile her way, which she returned. They both headed out together and said goodbye to each other before parting ways. On his way back to the apartment, Akechi couldn’t help but think that he was going to have a long week ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Another heat wave had arrived and with it came temperatures that were scorching to the point of melting the skin right off Akechi’s face. It didn’t give him any choice, but to lock himself away in his small apartment with his shoddy air conditioner and hope the amount of ice cream he had left in his freezer would be enough to get him through the day. He was not about to step foot outside and deal with the rest of the world today. A shame, considering he would much rather be spending his one day off going for a bike ride around the city, or taking a stroll through the park, or anything other than being cooped up inside going through Ren Amamiya’s missing person file. But alas, things did not always go as planned. 

Spread messily around his small dining table were the few papers that belonged to the missing person file, as well as his laptop that had the Phantom Aficionado Website opened up. Akechi was hoping to kill two birds with one stone by uncovering a clue on both of the cases he was assigned to, but the odds were against him today, as they always were. The file pertaining to Amamiya really had no solid leads to go off on, and the website did not offer any new information as to what the Phantom Thieves could be up to. The month was nearly over, and the Thieves have all but gone radio silent. 

Maybe that was intentional. Maybe they decided to halt their activities to rest or take a break. If that were true, then it was quickly becoming a hindrance to Akechi. Last year was so full of action and intensity it nearly gave Akechi a heart attack. Never before had he felt such a thrill of chasing after criminals that were giving his detective skills a run for their money. He finally felt like he had a challenge. It was a nonstop adrenaline rush. 

But now, there was nothing. Akechi got so used to the rapid, fast-paced chase that now he was left feeling out of breath and lost. The road he had been following for a year suddenly came to a dead end, and he could not figure out where to go next. This grounded feeling was beginning to unsettle him. Akechi needed movement. He needed a set of occurrences to be happening one right after the other. Otherwise, he’d feel like he was letting his potential waste away, and all the progress he has made to get himself this far would have all been for nothing if he didn’t have something to constantly show for it. 

This new case wasn’t helping matters either. It wasn’t giving him something to look forward to. If anything, it was just frustrating him even more. 

Akechi took a deep breath to calm himself. It was most likely the heat that was the main cause for his irritability. If only he had a better working air conditioner. One would think he would be able to afford a perfectly functioning one with his job as a detective. Akechi could just brush it aside by saying he didn’t have the time to get a new one put in, but if he was being honest, he was just lagging on it. He didn’t give himself much time to accommodate for such things. It was a bad habit of his that was really causing him to suffer now. He made a mental reminder to get a new one installed this weekend.

He looked back down at the drawing of the missing teen. There was nothing about him that struck Akechi in any particular way. He seemed so unassuming. So docile and content, yet his eyes held a fierce gaze. Akechi credited the sketch artist for managing to captured a secret held within them that belied the neutral facade shown on top. It was hard to believe that someone who seemed so ordinary would be charged with assault. 

Then again, Akechi knew better than to judge someone at face value. He knew not everyone were how they appeared to be on the surface. Everyone had a side of themselves they kept hidden from the world.

As he continued to take in the details of the sketch, Akechi couldn’t help but wonder if there was possibly an ulterior motive behind Amamiya’s disappearance. One that differed from a standard missing person case. Sae-san mentioned that there were no indications of a struggle that could have suggested he had been kidnapped. It just happened all of a sudden during any other normal day. One morning he woke up to go to school, and then the next moment he was gone. Out the door and out of reach, like a shadow that vanishes at the first sign of light. With absolutely no hint of a single trace leading to his whereabouts, Akechi had to wonder if the teen simply hadn’t vanished on purpose. 

If that was truly the intended goal, then what could have been the reasons that eventually led to that point? Too much inner turmoil for him to handle? Wounded pride? The assault on Amamiya’s record surely must have lead to his reputation being ruined, and being forced to move out into an unknown city probably didn’t offer much solace either. But was that really just it?

Maybe he didn’t have a normal life back home. From what Akechi gathered about Amamiya’s parents, they seemed very...cold. It was the best way Akechi could describe them. He felt as though they did not offer their support to the case as much as they could have, or should have. They gave the bare essential information that was needed, but other than that they did not do much else. They rarely cooperated with the police in the search effort, and no other form of support came from the rest of the family members. Everyone of them seemed so distant from the case. Were they not even remotely concerned that their son has been missing for over a year, and the police were no closer to finding out what happened to him?

All of these factors coupled together could give Akechi reason for thinking that perhaps Amamiya caused himself to purposefully disappear. He probably even went as far as to cover up his tracks so that he couldn’t be found. But a mere teen couldn’t have been able to cover his tracks up so easily. Maybe he had an accomplice help with his disappearance? That would help explain how any photo identification of Amamiya had went missing as well. 

Something stirred inside Akechi at the thought. Maybe Amamiya really did want to disappear. Maybe he felt so miserable it had gotten to the point that he would go to such great lengths to ensure no one would be able to find him if he went missing. Maybe his ruined reputation was too much for him to bear. The assault that was now forever etched onto his record would become a target on his back he could not get rid of. If people had found out about it, he would have never been able to live it down. It would become an ever-looming shadow over his presence. It would be something he spent every day trying to run from, but no matter how far he ran, it would always find him. A noose around his neck that society placed upon him. A shackle to remind him of where he stood, and where he would remain. 

However, his report states that he had managed to make some new friends in the short time that he came to live here. Was that not enough to make him feel hopeful? Was it not enough for him to try to pursue a new lifestyle? Maybe he tried going to a place where his past couldn’t follow him. Maybe he did try to start a new life, but he wasn’t able to keep it from falling apart again. 

Maybe Amamiya just finally grew tired of it all. He could have disappeared to the other side of the world, or fell off the face of the earth for all Akechi knew. Anything to achieve release from the prison that had become his life. 

Or perhaps Akechi was so sleep deprived to the point he had begun projecting his own thoughts onto a complete stranger. He set the picture down and rubbed at his temples. His job was to find out what happened to Amamiya. Not sit here and draw comparisons or parallels to him. It was against protocol to get attached to the person in your case. Akechi blames his rampant thoughts on the heat. It was making his mind sluggish. He glanced at his phone and realized it was almost evening. He really needed to stop getting lost in thought for hours at a time. He also needed to drink some coffee to reinvigorate himself. 

Speaking of coffee, he remembers Sae-san mentioning that Amamiya was residing with a man named Sojiro Sakura, who also happened to be running a cafe. It wasn’t too late. If he hurried, he could probably make it there at a reasonable time. As reasonable a time as could be when going around evening time. It was the perfect opportunity to see if he could get more information on his case, while also getting some caffeine in his system. 

Looks like Akechi was going to kill two birds with one stone.

He quickly cleaned up and headed out. The cafe was located in Yongen-Jaya, which wasn’t too far from his apartment. He would just have to bear through the uncomfortably cramped subway ride. 

When he arrived, the cafe was empty save for an elderly couple occupying a booth farther in. The ringing of the bell overhead signaled the person working behind the counter to look up. His look caused Akechi to stall at the door.

Behind the counter was a teen, who seemed to be around his age, with messy black hair and largely framed glasses, wearing a green apron. The light from the fluorescents above reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes from view. He had been leaning against a shelf that housed an impressive number of different coffee beans before straightening up upon Akechi’s arrival. 

The silence dragged on as both teens refused to break eye contact. The barista gave him a look that seemed to silently question whether or not Akechi had any intention of actually entering the cafe completely and ordering something to drink. When Akechi remained rooted to his spot, the corners of the barista’s lips quirked up into a smile. 

“I’m flattered by the staring, but are you actually planning on ordering anything?” 

That snapped Akechi out of his stupor. He blinked slowly, trying to hide the mild irritation that comment made him feel. He quickly threw on his charming smile to make up for that lapse in character. 

“My apologizes. I was hoping to find the owner of this cafe, but it appears he is not here.” The elderly couple from before paid for their coffee and left after giving the barista their thanks. He collected the money and deposited it into the cash register. After he was done, he shoved his hands into his pockets again, and looked up to give Akechi his attention.

“Boss left a while ago. Was there something you needed from him?” the teen asked. He pushed his glasses further up his face, causing the light to reflect off of them again. Akechi still hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of the other’s eyes. It was making it hard for him to confirm a suspicion of his.

“It was nothing important. I simply wanted to ask him a few questions pertaining to a case I’m working on.” 

The teen gave him a questioning look, prompting him to elaborate. He suppose it wouldn’t cause any harm to tell him. He had nothing to lose, and who knows, maybe he might even be able to learn a thing or two from this person who awfully resembled a drawing Akechi has tucked away in a file back at home. 

“Where are my manners,” Akechi begins, “I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Goro Akechi. I’m a detective tasked with investigating the disappearance of a person who resided here a little over a year ago. The person’s name is Ren Amamiya.”

He gauged the teen to see if he would have any reaction to the name. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one. The teen shifted his stance to lean more on the other leg, while still regarding him with that neutral expression. Akechi didn’t know what to make of the apparent lack of acknowledgement the teen seemed to have at the name. That made things a little tricky. 

“There’s still a search for my doppelganger?” 

He hadn’t been expecting the teen to respond at all. Let alone to be ask something so strange. Akechi blinked at the unusual response. 

“I beg your pardon?”

The teen’s lips twitched at the corners, as if trying to suppress a smile. He casted his eyes down and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Ah, sorry. It’s a joke most people made at my school.” He returned back to his casual stance. “When I first moved here, everyone mistook me for that guy. Apparently, I look almost exactly like him.”

Akechi’s brows narrowed slightly at that. “What school are you attending?”

“Shujin Academy,” the teen responded. 

_The same as Amamiya _, Akechi thought. “You said you moved here. How long ago was that?”__

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“Last year,” the teen responded again. 

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Again, the same. What were the odds for all of these coincidences? 

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It was then that Akechi realized he never asked the teen for his name. He should have done that from the start. He was really off his game today. 

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“Sorry, but I don’t think I asked for your name yet,” He gave a light chuckle. 

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The teen gave him a soft smile. “Akira Kurusu.”

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_Kurusu _. Akechi tossed the name around inside his head. He knew, from a logical standpoint, that just because one aspect regarding two people, in this case the difference in their names, was the only thing different among a considerable amount of commonalities, did not mean that they were different people. However, on that same note, two people having multiple commonalities did not automatically mean they were the same exact person either.__

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From all of the notes Akechi compiled from the case, he knew Amamiya had no other siblings. Yet, the different name could possibly be connected to some distant relative? Like a distant cousin, perhaps? 

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If that were the case, though, he suspected Kurusu would have mentioned it. Unless, he was intentionally hiding it from the detective. 

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His hand came up to cup his chin without him realizing it. He couldn’t stop his mind from immediately drawing the connections, yet it appeared that he was jumping to conclusions far too quickly. None of these were sufficient enough evidence. They were merely obvious observations. Akechi couldn’t use them to make any sort of rational statement. He would need actual hard evidence, like fingerprints or a blood test. 

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Akechi had no way of asking Kurusu for any of those things without seeming too accusing or deliberate. 

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He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the clinking of porcelain. His attention was drawn back to Kurusu, who seemed to be in the middle of preparing a drink. 

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Akechi watched in fascination as nimble fingers brewed and prepared a cup of coffee with seemingly no effort at all. As though all of it was second-nature. In no time at all, a steaming cup was placed in front of him. He looked up to see the teen looking back at him. He finally got a good look at his eyes. They were a soft gray. 

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“I didn’t order anything.” Akechi said, in way of response. 

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“You came all this way. It’s the least I can offer you,” Kurusu replied with a soft smile. 

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Well, it wasn't like Akechi could say no. He took a seat at one of the stools closest to the door, and gently blew on his coffee. It had rich aroma. He took a tentative sip, humming in satisfaction at the wondrous flavor. 

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“This is quite delicious.” he complimented. He took another delicate sip. This was perhaps some of the best coffee he has ever had. Akechi made a mental note to visit the cafe more often, and not just to obtain more information. 

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Kurusu’s nod conveyed his gratitude toward the compliment. He busied himself with wiping down the counter and cleaning up. The silence that accompanied them was not at all awkward or forced. It was actually quite relaxing. Leblanc gave off a cosy, almost homey atmosphere. Akechi could definitely get used to this place. 

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After he was done, he placed his cup back down. He pulled out some yen and placed it on the counter, and got up to collect his things. He straightened out his coat before addressing Kurusu.

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“Thank you very much for the coffee, and for answering my questions. I apologize if I caused any trouble.”

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Kurusu waved him off. “You didn’t, don’t worry about it.”

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Akechi smile. “Very well, then. I should get going now.”

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“Have a good night, Akechi-san,” Kurusu said. 

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“Please, just call me Akechi,” he replied. “Good night to you too, Kurusu-kun.”

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“Just Akira, is fine,” Kuru-- _Akira _said. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, again.__

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They both smiled and said their goodbyes again, before Akechi finally left to return back to his apartment. He couldn’t help the small smile that found its way onto his face. Maybe this whole ordeal hadn’t been a waste, after all.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! As always, positive feedback is greatly welcomed! Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on posting this chapter sooner, but then school life got in the way. I apologize for the wait, and for any mistakes or errors in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

_ Of all the days to be running late _ , Akechi chided himself mentally as he maneuvered his way through the bustling crowd of afternoon commuters. A hard knock to his side almost caused his briefcase to go flying. He was thankful for the secure grip he had on it. The last thing he wanted was to be trampled to death while picking up spilled papers from the floor. That would effectively tarnish his perfect attendance. 

His attendance would normally be the least of his worries, if it weren’t for the fact that he overslept this morning. When Akechi had returned home from Leblanc late last night, he marched straight to bed and was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow. It was the first proper night of rest he had been blessed with in a while. 

Unfortunately, the feeling of being well-rested and rejuvenated was short lived. When he woke up, he realized it was almost noon, and that he had received a message from Sae-san earlier that morning stating that there was an important matter she wished to discuss with him. Akechi all but threw himself out the door in his mad dash to get to the office. It was unheard of for the detective to be anything but diligent and on-time when it came to his work. He just hoped Sae-san wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. 

Akechi tried to quell his irritation from being pushed and shoved around by the multitude of commuters trying to get to where they needed to go. He couldn’t even stop to catch his breath, lest he be swept away like a wave by the continuous movement of the crowd. At least this situation was much more preferably than being mobbed by a horde of crazy fangirls, Akechi tried to reason with himself, until an older man roughly shoulder-checked him. The man didn’t even spare him a glance, much less an apology. He just continued on his merry way, the dirty look Akechi threw at his back going unnoticed. 

_ Slightly _ more preferably, Akechi finally settled on. 

Eventually, he managed to find a little break in the crowd where he could squeeze his way out. He made his way over to a secluded corner, and leaned up against the wall. After placing his briefcase gently on the ground, Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes to stave off a headache from forming. His hurry to get out the door cost him his morning coffee. Perhaps he could find the time to stop by Leblanc after his meeting with Sae-san to get another cup of that delicious drink. With any luck, he may even be able to encounter Sakura-san this time and acquire more information regarding Amamiya’s case. 

It would be even more beneficial if Akira were there, as well. 

Akechi shook his head. That underlying suspicion he felt upon seeing Akira still hadn’t left him. He felt as though he were missing something obvious. Something that was right in his face, screaming at him to be noticed, but Akechi couldn’t make out a sound. He always trusted his intuition when it came to these sort of things. 

Yet, Akechi knew it was logically absurd to just immediately assume Akira was Amamiya. What solid evidence did he even have to make such a claim? That they looked extremely similar? Two people who looked exactly the same without even being related to one another was a highly common occurrence. There was even a saying about how there were seven other individuals around the world who resembled you. Perhaps this was just proof of that saying. 

In all likeliness, with the way both of his cases were becoming stagnant and providing no new evidence, Akechi was starting to reach the point of just hoping a remarkably simple connection would come along and provide him with the evidence he needed to bring this case to a close. 

He knew it was useless to hope for such a thing. Fate had never been generous towards him. 

He pulled out his phone to check the time. There was still enough time left before his train was due to arrive. Akechi pocketed the device and straightened up. He surveyed the crowd in an attempt to occupy himself with a little bit of people-watching. His eyes unintentionally landed on a vaguely familiar mop of black curls, belonging to a person who was facing away from Akechi. There was something about their posture that had him quickly grabbing his briefcase and taking a few steps closer to get a better glimpse. 

It was only after a few short steps that Akechi quickly realized that the person was actually Akira. He was slightly hunched over, looking at something on his phone.

It appeared fate could be generous to him.

Akechi made his way over to the teen. Akira didn’t notice him, until he came to a stop right next to him. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Akechi flashed his signature smile at him. Akira put his phone away while turning to face him. He returned Akechi’s greeting with a smile, gray eyes soft behind dark frames. 

“What are the odds of us running into each other here?” Akechi muses, adjusting his grip on his briefcase again. “I was actually planning on stopping by Leblanc after work today.” 

“Addicted to the coffee already?” Akira asks, jokingly.

That brought a laugh out of Akechi. “That may be the case. It’s some of the best coffee I have ever tasted.”

“Boss will be happy to hear that.” 

“Oh, speaking of Sakura-san, will he be there today?”

Akira nods, “He’ll be there until closing time. Unless something comes up.” 

_ Will you be there too? _ , Akechi wants to ask, but doesn’t. 

As if reading his mind, Akira adds, “I promised to help out one of my friends with something today. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” 

Akechi tried to hide the slight disappoint he felt at that. Then he questioned why he even felt disappointed to begin with. He was going there for the purpose of questioning Sakura-san. Whether or not Akira was there shouldn’t change anything. 

Akechi can’t help, but think otherwise. 

“That’s alright,” Akechi answers back, “I suppose being served by Sakura-san this time wouldn’t hurt.”

Akira opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead of words, a yawn came out. He quickly put a hand over his mouth to hide it, eyes casting down in sheepish embarrassment. It was a rather cute expression. Akechi banishes the thought from his mind. 

“Are you alright? You seem tired,” Akechi commented instead, upon closer inspection. Akira’s expression appeared worn out, almost taut with restlessness, though he tried to mask it with a neutral facade. It would easily go unnoticed by others, but Akechi was known to be much more perceptive than most people. Akira brought a hand up to mess with his bangs. Most likely to give his hand something to do than anything, seeing as he didn’t make much of an attempt at pushing them away from obscuring his vision. 

“I was up late studying,” Akira shrugged. Akechi didn’t know if his eyes were playing tricks on him when he noticed the bag on Akira’s shoulder wiggle, as if something were inside it. He chose not to comment on it. 

“Ah, that’s right. You mentioned that you attend Shujin Academy. Is this your final year?” He received a nod in response. “How has this year been treating you?”

“Great,” Akira drawled, “Haven’t been expelled, so I must be doing something right.”

Akechi laughed at the comment. He was surprised by how genuine it sounded. It was refreshing to receive genuine answers, instead of rehearsed professional ones he was most accustomed too. There weren’t many people who would speak so freely around him as Kurusu did. Akechi was grateful for the small sense of normalcy it brought him. 

An announcement rang throughout the station, signalling the arrival of a train. Akira glanced in the direction of the tracks, then back at Akechi, giving him an almost wistful smile.  

“That’s my train,” he says, instead. 

Akechi checked the time on his phone, hoping the action would somehow mask his displeasure at the inevitable parting. His train would be arriving shortly too. He looked back up at Akira, returning the small smile. 

“It appears this is where we part ways,” he pocketed his device, “It was a pleasure speaking to you again.”

“Same to you. I’ll see you around?” Akira asks, more so than says. There was something in the tone of his voice that Akechi couldn’t quite decipher. 

“I’m sure we will. Have a nice day, Akira.”

“You too, Akechi.”

With that, they went their separate ways. Akechi’s train arrived shortly after, and for the entire ride all he mentally braced himself for the long day ahead. 

After arriving at the Public Prosecutors Office, he immediately headed over to his usual meeting location with Sae-san at the lounging area. He spots her sitting in an armchair, looking over something on her laptop. Her expression was taut with concentration, shoulders slightly tensed due to her hunched over posture. It took Akechi clearing his throat to finally draw her attention away from her screen. The look she gives him is that of disapproval, but honestly, Akechi was already expecting that. He just gives her a sheepish smile in return. 

“Hello, Sae-san. There was something you wished to consult with me?” He asks, trying to get straight to the point. He really wasn’t in the mood to be lectured. 

Sae remains quiet for a moment. Akechi can tell there was something she really wished to say, given by the expression in her intense gaze. Instead, she lets out a tired sigh, and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. She was probably too exhausted to lecture him on his tardiness. Akechi was safe for now.

“Do you remember that case I told you I am working on? The one regarding the sex trafficking operations spreading throughout Shinjuku?” Sae finally speaks up. Akechi nods and gestures for her to continue. 

“A few days ago, I found some evidence suggesting that a few of those operations may be circling around Shibuya, as well,” Sae explains. “As I’ve told you, traffickers from Shinjuku primarily target girls around a young age up to teen years. They have many solicitors from all over Japan, so tracking of all the kidnappings of girls and subsequent selling of them to customers has proven difficult. Some of the selling movement condence in other cities, where we believe a subgroup of the original are located. This implies that there are multiple branches operating within the trafficking, which was to be expected.”

“However, I still believe that the overall benefactor running these trafficking operations is stationed in Shinjuku. I’ve theorized possible routes that could help us narrow down their location, but I cannot make a sound statement yet. There are still factors that are just not adding up.” She shakes her head, stopping her mind from conjuring up more theories and thoughts. 

“But that’s not the problem I wanted to discuss with you,” Sae-san directs at Akechi, “I wanted to hear your opinion on the matter of there being possible traffickers in Shibuya, who kidnap girls and sell them to customers of the main Shinjuku operation.”

Akechi had already been contemplating that possibility while Sae-san had been talking. His left hand held his chin, as he gave the information more thought. It was completely likely for there to be small traffickers in Shibuya. Akech saw no reason as to why there wouldn’t be. Shinjuku’s underground network and blackmarket may be infinitely larger than that of Shibuya’s, but that still wouldn’t stop crimes as vile as these from being committed. 

“It is very much possible. You said you had found some evidence to back this up?”

“A few days ago, while I was reading over multiple reports pertaining to possible victims of sex trafficking, I managed to find a correlation between them.” Sae-san digs in her bag before pulling out a folder and handing it over to him. Akechi takes it and flips it open, seeing a picture of a young girl staring back at him. She was pretty, with dark brown hair and eyes. 

“The first picture is Kiyoko Matsumura. She is a twelve year old girl who was kidnapped two weeks ago, while on her way back home from school. With the statements we received from the local eyewitnesses, we concluded that her kidnapping happen sometime during the afternoon,” Sae-san explains, drawing Akechi’s attention away from the file. “There are a few more pictures in there showing the other victims. You will notice the similarities between them, if you take a look.”

Akechi moved Kiyoko’s picture out of the way to reveal a picture of another young girl behind it. Behind that one was another picture of another young girl. The pictures were arranged in order from oldest kidnapping to latest, with Kiyoko’s being the most recent. Akechi definitely saw a commonality between them. 

“They are all young girls, with dark colored hair and eyes. Their complexions are smooth and beautiful. They are all generally around the same age, and they come from upper class families,” Akechi states. Sae-san nods in agreement. He flipped back to the picture of Kiyoko. 

“So, the traffickers are targeting young girls that have these specific qualities.” It’s a statement more than a question. Akechi knows he’s right. 

“I realize it isn’t much, but it’s all I have at the moment,” Sae-san says, pushing more hair away from her face. She was quiet for a moment. A thoughtful look passed over her face before she looked back at Akechi. 

“The reason why I am convinced that these traffickers are selling their victims to customers in Shinjuku is because, during my research, I was able to dig up secret videos commercializing the exploitation of young girls through….horrendous methods,” Sae-san said with her voice dripping with disgust. Akechi felt his stomach coil with the same feeling. He didn’t need Sae-san to spell it out for him to understand the message. 

“And one of those girls you found was Kiyoko?” Akechi asked, not wanting the answer he knew to be true. 

Sae-san went silent before giving Akechi a simple nod. That was all the confirmation he needed. 

The prosecutor let out another exhausted sigh, rubbing her forehead to ease some tension. Akechi understood her tiredness. This was a difficult case to tackle. He felt what little energy he had seep away just by having this conversation. 

“I presented the video to the director, and we already have a team working on tracking down the source to find her location. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting.” Her eyebrows creased at the mention of having to wait. She hated not being able to do anything further with whatever case she was working on. Akechi was the same as her, in that regard. Having to play the waiting game was never pleasant. 

Another moment of silence passed between them before she spoke again. “Have you found any new evidence regarding the Phantom Thieves?”

Akechi was caught off guard by the sudden change in subject. He gave himself a second before answering. “No, I have not. They seem to have gone radio silent. Not a single word about them for almost a month now. Why do you ask?” 

“I just find it strange how they seem to have put a temporary halt to their activities. With the way they progressed all throughout last year, it’s a little hard to believe they simply burned themselves out,” Sae-san admits. 

With their abundance of determination and tenacity, Akechi would like to believe the Phantom Thieves still had plenty of fire left in them. It was not entirely uncommon for them to have momentary breaks between their heists. Although, there was usually some sort of commotion from the media during those absences to placate Akechi for the time being. There have been no such reaction from the public, as of late. The comments on the Phan-Site, as it was shortly dubbed, were becoming less and less as the month dragged on. Akechi was running out of resources. 

They were just as their name implied. Thieves of shadows and stealth, leaving their mark on anything they so choose, and disappearing like a cloud of smoke in the blink of an eye. They decreed the world as their playing field. The governing system being nothing more than a pawn on their board game. Akechi loathed being treated as a plaything. He would much prefer being the one with all the pieces in his hand. 

The cat and mouse game he indirectly initiated with the Thieves last year was exhilarating. Both sides planning twenty steps ahead to outmaneuver the other. Both using the media and the general public to sway support to one side and turn the tables. But now, Akechi was at a stalemate with them. The timer to plan and execute the next move had long since run out. The next move belonging to the Thieves, who have essentially chosen to exit the game without completing their turn. What was Akechi suppose to make out of that?

“If only there were a way to draw them out of hiding,” Sae-san thought aloud, drawing his attention back to her. She seemed to have lost herself in thought, as well. She blinked a few times, before regaining her composure and offering Akechi a delicate smile. She rose from her armchair, adjusting her bag back onto her shoulder. 

“I apologize. I didn’t intend to worry you about my case while you just recently received a new one.” She closed her laptop, and placed it back into her bag. Akechi flashed his charming TV smile at her. 

“You have nothing to worry about, Sae-san. It’s nothing I cannot handle.” Being a detective has made him accustomed and flexible to numerous types of cases. If there was one thing he did best, it was to adapt to any given situation. 

Sae-san nods, contempt with letting the subject drop. “Still, if you have any concerns or need some advice, I will be happy to assist you in any way I can.”

“Thank you, Sae-san, I appreciate the offer,” Akechi says. 

“I’m glad to hear. Now then,” She fixed him with a stern gaze, “Since you kept me waiting due to your tardiness today, I assume you won’t mind helping me with some file management.” Her voice left no room for argument. Akechi laughed nervously, but conceded. He should have known Sae-san wouldn’t let him off the hook forever. 

By the time Akechi was done helping Sae-san, “help” translating into him doing the entirety of the file management for every conspicuous file Sae-san had laying around while she just typed away on her laptop, it was already getting late. The sun was slowly dipping below the horizon by the time Akechi made it back to his apartment. He decided he would go to Leblanc some other time. He was too exhausted to make the trip there. Missing one day wouldn’t bring any harm.

He kicked off his shoes lazily and tossed his keys onto the kitchen island. He wasn’t in the mood to rummage through his fridge or cabinets to search for something to eat, but he had little choice in the matter. His endeavor to convince Sae-san to take him out to eat resulted in failure. She had already planned on spending the evening with her younger sister, so that left Akechi to tread back home and make do with what he had. His options were limited, as he opened one empty cabinet and then another. He really needed to go grocery shopping soon. 

He found some cup noodles in one of the cabinets and decided on that. After setting the water to boil, he went to his room and changed out of his work attire. Once his food was ready, he carried it over to the living room. He placed it down on the table next to the folders belonging to his cases, and grabbed the remote to switch the TV on. It was mostly to have noise fill the otherwise silent apartment than anything else. 

Akechi flipped open Amamiya’s file and stared at the drawing again. He has read every square inch of the file over a hundred times now. To the point where it’s as though he knows Amamiya personally. Akechi scoffed at the thought. If he actually knew him, he would have no trouble finding him. For all he knew, Amamiya was nothing more than a ghost at this point. Lost to the echoes of the world. Gone and mostly likely forgotten. 

Akechi would like to consider himself a realist, but right now, he was just being downright pessimistic. He wasn’t known as the Detective Prince for nothing. If anyone could find a ghost, it was him. He already had experience chasing phantoms. 

“ _ Breaking News: We have just received word that a calling card was found at the residence of famous actor, Takeshi Murakami.” _

Akechi nearly choked on his food. He coughed and tried to get some much needed oxygen into his lungs. He quickly reached for the remote once he was finally able to breathe properly and turned the volume up. 

_ “Murakami-san was returning home after a late meeting with one of his agents regarding his upcoming movie, when he got a call from his wife saying she had found  a suspicious looking card in their mailbox. Upon a closer look, it was recognized to be a calling card used by the notorious Phantom Thieves group. Guards surrounding the Murakami Residence did not detect any unusual passerbyers, nor did any of the security cameras around the property capture anything.” _

Akechi’s mind was reeling as he continued to listen to the news report. He almost didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. After a long, excruciating month of waiting, the Phantom Thieves have finally made their move. 

The timer had reset.

He scrambled to take his phone out of his pocket, tearing his eyes away from the screen for a quick moment as he pressed the call button. He listened to the continuous ringing before breathing a sigh of relief when a familiar voice picked up. 

“Sae-san,” Akechi says, as he watched the logo of the Phantom Thieves cover the screen, “It would appear our wait is finally over.”


End file.
